WWF Malaysia in Semporna

11 – 15 June

Semporna
Bumbum Island
Sibuan Island

We met the WWF Malaysia Semporna team in their quaint office on stilts at the end of Dragon Inn, by the marina. They were busily preparing several community activities when we reached their office. It was all girl power, with Myezana Ismat and Nina Ho at the helm as WWF staff and Lee Pei Xuan and Nattelee Lim from the Universiti Malaysia Sabah doing their WWF internship for their final year in college.

Our week’s schedule to follow activities of WWF Malaysia was quickly organized, and off we went for a quick boat trip on the fantastic Kahumbu (“whale” in the Bajau language), the new catamaran of WWF Malaysia’s Semporna Priority Conservation Area Project. We went around the areas covered by the Tun Sakaran Marine Park.

Our first activity was a visit to the Bajau weavers in the stilt houses of Kampung Halo, on the Semporna mainland. WWF is starting to introduce marine animal designs in small mat sizes to enable the Bajau women to sell their products to the fast growing tourism industry.

Irresistible Bajau woven mats shown off by a Bajau family. We bought one of these and added to our already super overweight luggage

Semporna is the jump-off point to the fantastic World Heritage Site Sipadan Island, which triangulates with resorts around Mabul Island and Kapalai. This area is diving heaven for divers from all over the world.

Nina Ho with her brigade of trash collectors

Then we had clean-up activities in Kampung Balembang Berjasa in Bumbum Island, a five-minute boat ride from Semporna. The small kids were waiting for us, eager to pick up trash from all the nooks and crannies around the parking lot of this Kampung.

Eager to clean up their surroundings, these kids did not stop for a moment to rest the entire morning

Myezana Ismat is the leader of this gang of cleaners.

This took the better part of the morning, and a dozen sacks full of all sorts of plastics, from bottles to straws to candy wrappers thoughtlessly thrown on the ground, were filled.

Myezana and Harris explain the rules of the game to a captive audience

Soon after picking up most of the trash, Myezana, Nina, and the interns, along with Harris our trusted boatman, conducted kids’ activities, which ranged from coloring sheets of paper with marine drawings, to getting their pictures taken with a makeshift turtle’s body.

WWF Intern Nattelee Lim discusses important artworks in progress

Turtle mock-up with kids’ heads was perfect photo op for the WWF staff

The activities were all aimed at educating the younger generation about the marine environment and the need to protect it. Although the aims were serious, everyone had fun and enjoyed the entire event.

Dr. Ian saying his goodbye and wishing a baby turtle the best of luck to survive the wild.

WWF marine biologist Nina Ho gently letting a baby green turtle go.

A baby green turtle (Chelonia mydas), kept in captivity for a month, was given to WWF for release back into the wild. Nina, a marine biologist, decided to do this in the far-flung island of Sibuan, where there is just a small population of Bajau Laut. Our baby turtle may have a higher chance of survival if released away from heavily populated Semporna.

Nina getting her last picture of baby green turtle

We all waved our goodbyes and gave it our most heartfelt wishes to survive in the wild.

Nina Ho explains to a Bajau fisherman each page of a seaweed book on how to grow carrageenan seaweed

While on Sibuan Island, Nina took the opportunity to show some of the Bajau menfolk a book of seaweed drawings, which explained in the Bajau language how to grow carrageenan seaweed.

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Stella was born in Manila, Philippines in 1965. She studied anthropology but ended up in advertising, producing radio and TV commercials for 7 years. After quitting advertising, she ventured into the freelance world in Manila producing video documentaries for a publishing house, government agencies, non govenmental organisations, and the academe. She moved on to producing books and had a stint at working with foreign production companies visiting Manila. Stella, now based in Cairns, produces photo stories with her husband Jürgen Freund.

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“I was inspired to take pictures and to improve my eye for capturing a special moment in nature… The course is so well planned to provide opportunities for that special picture in that special place, and each day we were challenged to apply new techniques to get the shot. Unforgettable and such solid step in my learning experience.”

Chico Birrell – Brisbane, QLD

“I had the best time and learnt so much from both Jürgen and Stella… and the others! And visited a beautiful part of the world I had never been too… what a bonus! Thank you! This will go down in my memories as one of my best holidays EVER!!!”

Chris McKinnon – Tamworth, NSW

“The method was Rogerian with a lot of personal responsibility for learning and largely apprentice mode of instruction. This method suits me. It’s the first face-to-face course I have done and Yogi was a true gentleman. I would do further courses without hesitation as it was an outstanding learning experience.”

Dennis Tannenbaum – Perth, WA

“An enjoyable and entertaining fun-course of expertly organised subjects and venues, inspired by Yogi’s enthusiasm and generous sharing of his photographic knowledge and experiences. Thanks Yogi, Stella and Tai.”

Annette Corsi – Innisfail, QLD

“The JCU Nature Photography Masterclass was a wonderful (indeed sublime) experience – a direct result of the effort that Juergen & Stella put into the preparation. Juergen & Stella were the perfect team to lead the Masterclass. Between the two they have just the right blend of enthusiasm, willingness to teach, organisational ability, drive, sense of humour and generosity of spirit. They demonstrated energy and passion during the week with Juergen imparting very generously the technical photogra…

Bruce Terry – Sydney, NSW

“Take a small disparate group of individuals, from a variety of geographical and workplace backgrounds; shake gently in a minibus, pour into a variety of magnificent tropical photo venues; add good food, company and accommodation, and you have the starting blocks for Yogi and Stella’s Masterclass in Nature Photography. Some essential didactic advice and suggestion smooths the way for the main focus on individual mentoring and hands on learning. The advantages of digital imaging in allowing trial…

Gresham Clapham – Cairns, QLD

“This was more than a course. Not only did I learn a lot from an experienced, patient, knowledgeable tutor and guide, I had to stretch my limited knowledge and came away with a head and notebook full of tips, tricks and information. The course was well organised and run capably by Stella and Yogi, and the inter-action with the other group members ensured strong friendships were made. The willingness to share experiences and knowledge made for a very pleasant learning experience in an area full o…

Philip Michael – Gold Coast, QLD

“I hadn’t originally planned to do the course, but I attended the welcome dinner with my wife and was taken with the presentation by Yogi and Stella. The course promised to be informative and interesting on many levels including photography skills and techniques, local areas of interest for native flora and fauna, and organisational/business skills for professional photographers, Yogi and Stella delivered on these and more, arranging accommodation surrounded by abundant wildlife, organisin…

James Binkley – Bendigo, VIC

“I took Yogi’s photo class with a bunch of friends and family of various different skill levels. Yogi has a lovely, gentle approach to teaching with no ego or B.S. Everyone in the course got something awesome out of it and it was a heap of fun playing with all his toys and gadgets. He was great at explaining complex stuff and made sure no one got left behind.”

Dave Mainwaring – Port Douglas, QLD

“Juergen Freund is a master at his craft and he tailored his response carefully to each of the participant’s personal skills. He never became impatient even with questions that to him must have appeared inane. I personally benefited greatly from his instruction. I would also like to emphasise that Stella was also a pillar of strength and she contributed greatly to the overall success of the program.”